1,471 Shares in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Acquired by Cullen Investment Group LTD.

Cullen Investment Group LTD. purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 1,471 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $205,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its position in Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its position in Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $69,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Atmos Energy by 17.9% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 917 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its position in Atmos Energy by 50.8% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 992 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $138,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $377,003.78. The trade was a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO opened at $140.76 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $142.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $135.55. The firm has a market cap of $21.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.49, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.71. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $110.46 and a twelve month high of $152.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.47%. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH increased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Profile

Atmos Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the regulated natural gas distribution, and pipeline and storage businesses in the United States. It operates through two segments, Distribution, and Pipeline and Storage. The Distribution segment is involved in the regulated natural gas distribution and related sales operations in eight states.